French Fancy

 

Date: 23/02/10

Venue: Givral, Nguyen Hue, D.1

As the majority of CTs tasting sessions of late have taken place in Saigon's more recent coffee shops, we decided that this week we should address the balance and visit a long-standing favourite.

Standing proudly in what is arguably the best possible location in the whole of Saigon, Givral cccupies the corner space on the crossroads of Nguyen Hue and Dong Khoi - where, incredibly, it has been serving fine food and delicacies for over five decades and stands as a testament to Saigon's French Colonial past.  Whilst casually conversing over coffee and cake, diners can enjoy landmark views of the Opera house, the gardens and the Caravelle hotel.  Located conveniently closely to the Rex, Continental and Caravelle hotels, Givral served as a regular meeting place for journalists throughout the war, and still remains a favourite place to catch up on all the latest news today.  Phillip Noyce's 2002 adaptation of Graham Greene novel, 'The Quiet American', even used the restaurant as a location for a scene in the movie.

CT however, was not going to allow the history,or the scenery, to distract us from our important mission - to find Saigon's greatest cheesecake.

Givral offers a wide selection of cakes, tempting customers with a range of 5 or more different cheesecakes.  Somewhat spoilt for choice, CT members eventually settled on a plain New York cheesecake and a chocolate cheesecake.

Consistency:  The Chocolate variety has a firm melt-in-the-mouth texture that avoids being too heavy.  The NY cheesecake is softer and more airy than the chocolate, creating a light and fluffy texture.  The topping could be a little thicker.

Base:  Both cakes have a sponge base, which testers found a little too 'chewy' and felt that it distracts from, rather than compliments, the cheese topping.


Presentation: Both cakes use straightforward and simple chocolate swirl patterns, which in themselves are attractive to the eye but Givral loses marks for the overly flexible plastic spoons given to eat the cakes.

Taste: The chocolate cake offers a pleasant chocolate hit, enough to satisfy most chocoholics and whilst the NY cake has a pleasant vanilla flavouring, neither cake offers that special cheesecake magic that the CT members so ardently seek.

It must be mentioned that, at 28,000vnd a slice, this is the cheapest cheesecake that CT has so far tasted and Givral certainly offers value for your money. 

Verdict:  It may be Saigon's greatest location, but, alas, it's not Saigon's greatest cheesecake.

                                                     Not a bad effort - 7/10